how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

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how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

September 04, 2015, 08:56:00 pm

I'm camped at Bandelier national monument, where rodents carry horrible diseases, and suddenly I have mice in my cargo bay. Well I'm exaggerating a little cuz I've actually only killed two mice with traps so far and I've been here a month. Still, I've traveled all over the country and never had a mouse get in before I got here. Has this happened to other folks on this forum? Are the mice coming in through the chase the wires and hoses run through? Was anyone able to find a way to keep the mice out? Just thought I'd ask on here before attempting to reinvent the wheel.

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #1 – September 04, 2015, 09:14:03 pm

Stainless steel wool stuffed into where the cable tray goes through the bulkheads. Some have had success with spray foam.

Pamela

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #2 – September 04, 2015, 09:30:27 pm

Scott get real peppermint oil and cotton balls, put them everywhere, mice and other rodents will stay away. My mom puts them out on tin foil

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #3 – September 04, 2015, 09:44:48 pm

I use the peppermint cotton balls, Irish Spring soap ( left in the box) get it by the bulk at Costco,I think it's 10 or 12 per package, s/s Brillo Pads and have used the spray foam for the front bulkhead and rear. It's a WAR!!!

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #4 – September 04, 2015, 09:48:45 pm

Scott I'm sure that you are aware of the ability of rodents crawling up the shore power cords or water hoses. In older coaches this can be more of a problem since they might have better access to the cargo bays. Something for others to think about when running utilities.

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #5 – September 04, 2015, 10:30:47 pm

Down south the last two winters we saw lots of folks with 2 or 3 hundred dollars worth of rope lights circling their entire coach, fiver, trailer, tents what ever. They all claimed it kept kangaroo rats, pack rats, spiders, snakes and all manner of nasty things away.

I found no believable foundation for this but pages and pages of urban legend surely posted by the rope light manufacturers association.

Peppermint stuff seems to do the trick for us as well as closing up all of the easy openings. Amazon sells something called mouse magic that we have used. Little bags of strong peppermint infused something. I am sure you could add more peppermint oil to each bag too. We put them in small plastic yogurt cups, one or two in every bay door and a couple in the engine bay.

Somehow I would rather smell peppermint than bring back the Irish Spring olifactory memories from the 1970s. English Leather, Brut, OMG don't get me started. 👃

Just me. Roger

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #6 – September 05, 2015, 12:21:59 am

...my dad used Hai Karate hahahahaha!

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #7 – September 05, 2015, 12:47:48 am

Back to the 50s. Aqua Velva and Old Spice. I'm a fragrance free sort of guy now ... for decades.

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #8 – September 05, 2015, 01:06:44 am

....well this has JUST happened to me, in my new storage lot in NC! Had put moth balls around every tire when I left a couple weeks ago, (nothing plugged in) came back 10 days later, happy there were no signs of 'em in the coach...went to dump the tanks when leaving the park & found they'd shredded paper towels (lining an open bin) in the bay...can they get into the coach now or might they just be confined to the bay? No time to clean out the entire bay but I'm going to battle when I get back! Did not want to leave traps out while gone.

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #9 – September 05, 2015, 07:59:04 am

Peppermint oil and cotton balls. We made cups from tin foil using the bottom of a cup as a mold. As others have said we put them everywhere. Oh and 3 or 4 mouse traps.

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #10 – September 05, 2015, 08:12:35 am

We take a soda or "barley pop" can, cut it in half, , take the bottom half and make about 6 or 8 vertical equally spaced cuts about halfway to the bottom of the can. We then stuff cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil in the can, then bend the 6 or 8 vertical pieces over the cotton balls.
I then put these deterrents in the engine compartment, under the lift up dash, on the frame rails in the engine compartment, and on top of EACH tire, along with inside almost every compartment/cupboard where ducting or piping runs are routed.
Five years now and not a single rodent.
OH, I also ran a string of LED lights in the engine compartment and leave them on whenever we are out camping somewhere.
I don't think Rocket is much of a deterrent, but he would catch one (if he was awake) just so he had something to play with. He did try to do that with a "flying mouse" (bat).

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #11 – September 05, 2015, 09:05:25 am

Peppermint oil on cotton balls .... I used empty glass spice jars with the perforated plastic top. (But now Mr. Wonderful has been throwing them away, so I have to begin collecting again. Grrrrr)

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #12 – September 05, 2015, 09:40:36 am

We had considered glass containers but I worried that I would forget where I had put them all and if I didn't remove every single one then one or more could fall out on the road & break--the ones I placed on the frame rails in the engine compartment.
Plus, I always seem to have a goodly supply or soda or barley pop cans.

By the way, I did "find" three cans that weren't removed in the spring.

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #13 – September 05, 2015, 10:35:25 am

As others have said Peppermint Oil on cotton balls which I place in reused plastic cups, obtained after eating sugarless Jello purchased in a food markets dairy section.
I also place LED lights out around coach activated by a digital timer which can adjust for DST/Standard time plus adjust time for the section of country you are located, you can purchased at Home Depot. In addition I have 2 sets of LED solar rope lights around coach purchased at Harbor Freight.
Another possible thought, just saying, might be to put a motion sensor LED light in any area of entry you can think of, secured with Velcro, have not tried yet personally, well yes I did place one LED light in the cars engine compartment with the hood opened while parked at Organ Pipe National Memorial this winter, but might be an alternative? Try anything to help keep the critters away!

Tony

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #14 – September 05, 2015, 10:44:55 am

At home I leave all basement doors open . I have a 12 pound black cat named Pepper . He patrols the coach house . He packs a pistol and an attitude . If he smells something that should not be there , se sets up camp right there waiting . Maybe his smell is the very thing that keeps the vermin away . So far , zero problems .Pepper has an apprentice named Spotsy who in the training mode . I see Pepper holding class from time to time .If-- Spotsy turns out half as good as Pepper , I'll be a happy camper .

Brad Metzger

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #15 – September 05, 2015, 11:04:05 am

A couple of mice got into my coach this summer. Not sure where we picked them up, but discovered them while in Rocky Mtn. NP. Not sure how they got in, but suspect that it was via the sewer/ utility compartment. The gap around the sewer pipe is big enough to let small mice in. From there I think they used the furnace ducts to travel around as we saw one come out and then go back in the outlet in the bathroom. Found some chewed up paper in some drawers and also in the electrical compartment under the bed. Walmart has small plastic box traps that can be baited with peanut butter. Found one in the big drawer under the stove hiding in the pots and pans. Removed the drawer and took it outside. Thought we were mice free, until another showed up the next day in a trap. Since then no evidence of more mice. I'm keeping the traps, and have stuffed wet sponges around the sewer pipe. When dry the sponge stays in place. I also foamed the opening where I think they got into the compartment under the bed. I probably have a hole/s in the furnace ducts, but so far have not found any.

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #16 – September 05, 2015, 12:05:07 pm

The smell of dog food brings the nasty critters in from long distances. In the 10 years I lived in my old coach, I found stashes of dog food in many places including in the hearing ducts, water heater. under the dash and in a dash air duct.

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #17 – September 05, 2015, 04:37:02 pm

I bought a couple of old fashioned wooden mouse traps and some newfangled "better" mouse traps that are circular black plastic thingys that you bait with peanut butter through the bottom, then twist the trap to wind up the spring and set it. So far the better mouse traps haven't caught any mice but the old fashioned wooden mouse trap has caught two... so much for new technology... Last winter I made a tight fitting wooden plug for the opening under the utility bay where my shore power cable comes in. I never leave my water or sewer connected so I only cut out an opening just big enough for my 50 amp cable. There's a slight gap around the 30 amp cable when I have to use it instead of the 50 amp cable. I made the wooden plug to prevent freezing but it does work to keep out rodents. I'll try to find some peppermint oil tomorrow when I go to the store. I'll see if I can find some stainless steel wool too. I have ordinary steel wool but I suppose it could become a rusty mess if rain water got to it. I plugged a night light in to the engine block heater outlet and I turn it on each night. I lift up the bed to verify the bulb isn't burned out and check the mouse traps I put under there. I don't want to catch any of our really cool looking Abert squirrels so I put the better mouse traps in the engine bay because the opening in the better mouse trap is too small to catch anything larger than a mouse... so I guess I could just put them on the ground around my coach without endangering wildlife... unless you consider mice to be wildlife?

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #18 – September 05, 2015, 04:42:28 pm

Amazon a good place for peppermint oil

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #19 – September 05, 2015, 05:02:27 pm

Quote from: RRadio – September 05, 2015, 04:37:02 pm

I'll see if I can find some stainless steel wool too.

Scott,

Look in the pot scrubber section of most any store, they usually are in a green wrapper.

Pamela

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #20 – September 05, 2015, 05:49:40 pm

Almost any health/vitamin store will carry 100% pure peppermint oil (mentha piperita), usually one fluid ounce size for around $5-$6.

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #21 – September 05, 2015, 05:54:07 pm

From New style Smartplug shore cable plug with photo attached:

Years ago, we removed the hinges and made two aluminum angles that are visible in this photo. We can fully remove door and with cable slot and removable pieces of metal to close off slot, we feel we can close off the space to better protect from critters. We also added a 2nd sliding latch, shown with string between them.

Also if a door hangs down, it can be crushed when lowering coach. We have tried different ways to close off the space around the shore cable, and this is our latest and best. We never connect to city water except to gravity fill tank, and we never leave a sewer hose connected, so we did not need to accommodate these hoses with a critter secure opening. (We fill and dump about once a week and then put the hoses away).

We made two different cable slot covers, one that closes off with cable in place, like in photo. And another that closes off the slot completely for traveling or parking without electric service.

Follow-ups
- What's behind the utility bay panels?

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #22 – September 06, 2015, 08:30:00 pm

Susan & I have been following this thread with interest, because we'd like to mouse-proof our coach. However, perhaps a better solution came along today. Look at the photo carefully, just behind the black connector to the dump hose.

Umm, we're offering this visitor to anyone who is having problems with mice!

More seriously, what's behind the wall in the utility bay on which the hot/cold water faucet is mounted? When the visitor saw me, he eased backward through the opening around the dump pipe. Presumably, he is curled up on the belly skin behind the wall with the faucet. We've never seen a coach with the belly skin off. Where might he go next, if he decides not to come back outside?

With thanks in advance for info and suggestions. Glad it's not a scorpion and we WILL do some serious sealing soon.

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #23 – September 06, 2015, 08:43:19 pm

Richard, if you can dig him out, I'll overnight you my keys & all y'all gotta do is toss him in a bag, hike 2 minutes up the hill to my coach & stick him in the big storage bay!

I could use a little rodent control right now.

Seriously, best see if anyone can identify what kind of snake he is before you get too involved, maybe get Robert to help you catch him or call the county wildlife folks?

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #24 – September 06, 2015, 09:13:16 pm

Richard,

Mike thinks by what he can see that is a Black King snake. You should be able to pull the screws out of the top panel along with the lower trim piece along with the soap bottle, towel holder, and remove the cover panel. This will give access to the back side of the holding tanks. There is a nice warm little hiding hole in there for a snake. He can escape via a crawl hole between the tank supports. If he goes that way the will come out over on the other side under the water manifold.

If you are anywhere around East Texas you could swing by and Mike will help you flush him/her out.

An edit: Here is a link that took me a few minutes to find BlackKingsnake.com |

Pamela & Mike

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